St. Joseph's
Grammar School, Donaghmore
Educating For the Future Since 1922
Principal's Welcome
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Thank you for your interest in St Joseph’s Grammar School/Scoil Iósaef and I hope that you find this prospectus beneficial as your child prepares to move from primary to post-primary education.
St Joseph’s Convent, the name by which the school was formerly known, was founded over one hundred years ago by the Daughters of the Cross, a Belgian Order of Sisters who first opened their school in 1922 with just a handful of pupils. Since then, the school has grown and expanded so that today we have over 900 pupils and a school estate that is fast extending and modernising.
As a Catholic school, our ethos is integral to all that we do, and we remain indebted to the work of our Founding Order whose example of care for others remains central to our focus. At St Joseph’s/Scoil Iósaef, we believe that if a child is happy, he/she will thrive. We encourage respect of self and for others and our watchword is ‘kindness’ in all our dealings with each other.
All of our staff are sensitive to the needs of our pupils, and we offer a pastoral system that ensures our young people are known and valued for who they are. Our ambition is to nurture their talents and feed their imagination so that learning is as much about enjoyment as it is about attainment. We recognise the central role that parents and guardians have in supporting their child during their post -primary school years. Our aim is to work in tandem with our parents and guardians to provide the maximum support and encouragement for our pupils as they grow and develop into young men and women.
Our curricular offer is wide, varied and, in addition to the core subjects, we constantly review our range of courses to ensure our pupils are well prepared for the ever-changing world of work. Our ongoing programme of professional development for staff ensures that our pupils get the very best learning experiences from our highly skilled teachers. By the end of their seven years of education at St Joseph’s/Scoil Iósaef our pupils not only have the broad knowledge base that ensures they excel in public exams, but that they also have the skills and confidence to achieve their place on higher apprenticeships or at their choice of university. Our pupils are encouraged to embrace a host of the many extracurricular opportunities that are presented both during the school day and beyond it.
These build the soft skills required for successful adult life and provide occasions for youngsters to broaden their friendship groups and try out new interests. We are very proud of all our pupils and their myriad of successes and endeavours. If you visit us during our Open Day in January 2024, you will have the chance to come along and meet some of them and listen to what they have to tell you about this great school.
Yours sincerely
